Chapter 833: Heavenly Court Librarian

The Northern Emperor's disciple had his physical body destroyed by Dao Master Lin Xuan's sword, with only his primordial spirit escaping. Meanwhile, the Eastern and Western Emperor's disciples were heavily wounded by Lin Xuan's blade. At this moment, none of the three could evade the divine light emanating from Qin Mu's third divine eye!

Within Qin Mu's third divine eye, layer after layer of heavens opened, revealing all nine celestial realms. This was the Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Method, taught to him by Blind. Previously, Qin Mu could only open the Jade Firmament Heavenly Eye, but now he could fully activate all nine heavens. Within his third divine eye, these nine heavens transformed into nine concentric array patterns. At the eye's center, a galaxy formed by circling stars, with a sun erratically rising and falling at its very core.

Blind's Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Method incorporated and improved upon the Twin Sun-Moon Pupils of Empress Qing, the First Divine Eye from the Founding Emperor Era. However, as Blind had only acquired the array formation for the Sun Pupil at that time, he only passed the Sun Pupil to Qin Mu. Blind later completed the method with the Moon Pupil, but Qin Mu was constantly on the move and didn't have the opportunity to learn the Moon Pupil divine eye. If both the Sun and Moon Pupils were combined, their power would be significantly enhanced.

Now, Qin Mu was activating the Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Method using his third divine eye, which differed from Blind's original teaching. In his eye, a black sun revolved within the galaxy. The third eye on his forehead was no ordinary eye; it was a symbol of his identity as the Son of Youdu, identical to the vertical eye on Earth Count's forehead. It was a demonic eye formed by the Great Dao of Youdu—the Eye of Perdition—capable of expelling and slaying both ghosts and gods. This eye had originally been sealed by Earth Count. It only awakened later when Qin Mu inadvertently released his elder brother, Qin Fengqing.

At this moment, he transformed into a three-headed, six-armed form, and three beams of pitch-black light shot out, drawing three straight lines in the air. The Eastern and Western Emperor's disciples were not far from him and had no time to dodge; the black lines pierced through the centers of their brows. The Northern Emperor's disciple, killed by Lin Xuan and reduced to only his primordial spirit, had avoided the immediate battlefield and was thus further away. However, the black light was incredibly fast, allowing him no time to react before it pierced straight through his body. His primordial spirit was that of a Black Tortoise. The black light pierced through the mystic tortoise's hard shell and then through its soaring serpent. Darkness immediately spread rapidly from the point of impact, quickly engulfing the entire primordial spirit, staining both the mystic tortoise and the soaring serpent pitch black. His primordial spirit exploded, transforming into countless black soul particles. Blown by the winds of Qingyun Heaven, they drifted away, quickly disappearing from sight.

Meanwhile, the Eastern and Western Emperor's disciples each fell from the sky, landing near the Dao Palace. One collapsed, transforming into an Azure Dragon stretching a hundred zhang, while the other transformed into a White Tiger radiating light. The two giant beasts struggled to rise, let out two roars, and then suddenly perished. Their bodies rapidly petrified, transforming into two lifelike stone statues, their struggling forms still visible.

On the other side, the Southern Emperor's disciple shrieked, transformed into a Vermilion Bird, and fled, leaving a trail of fire in the air. Below, Lin Xuan called out loudly, "That young lady, Cult Master Qin said he has an old acquaintance with your master, so he won't kill you!"

The red-clad woman paid no heed. The Vermilion Bird she transformed into was extremely fast, heading straight for the gate of Qingyun Heaven. She flew into the area of blue light and plunged in, but the light wavered, and the woman found herself caught in a net. The Vermilion Bird struggled fiercely in the net but could not break free. Around the net were four old Daoists, each holding a corner, trapping her.

Dao Master Lin Xuan opened his Yin-Yang Dao Eye to observe, and saw that the net's structure was incredibly intricate, demonstrating exceptionally profound mastery of numerology. He couldn't help but praise it repeatedly. "Qingyun Heaven practices macroscopic numerology," he mused, "and their mastery in that field far surpasses anything in the Eternal Peace Dao Sect." He was very pleased and said to Daoist Cha beside him, "While our Dao Sect has unmatched mastery in the Calculation Sutra of Taiwei, if our knowledge were combined, it would be a great fortune for Eternal Peace's Daoist arts!"

Daoist Cha hesitated for a moment and cautiously asked, "Dao Master, it's still hard to tell if Qingyun Heaven is a friend or foe. Are you so certain they will help our Dao Sect? After all, our Eternal Peace Dao Sect was founded by outcasts from the Heavenly Court Dao Sect..."

"Cult Master Qin can definitely handle it!" Lin Xuan declared confidently.

Daoist Cha scratched his black-and-white hair, thinking to himself, "Are you the Dao Master or is he? Your confidence in the Heavenly Devil Cult Master is a bit excessive..."

In the sky, Qin Mu and Xiao Chunfeng ascended higher and higher. Xiao Chunfeng's strength was extraordinary, and his mastery of numerology was terrifyingly profound. He was, after all, a disciple of the Dao Ancestor and a successor of the Heavenly Court Dao Sect. Although he hadn't received personal guidance from the Dao Ancestor, his achievements were still remarkable. What he displayed was not swordsmanship.

The Eternal Peace Dao Sect's signature technique was the Fourteen Chapters of Dao Sword, a sect-鎮 sword art that all past Dao Masters were required to study and comprehend. Their cultivation method was the Innate Grand Profound Art, which was originally incomplete. Later, Daoist Cha brought the Dao Sect's cultivation methods from the Founding Emperor Era, completing the Innate Grand Profound Art. However, both the Fourteen Chapters of Dao Sword and the Innate Grand Profound Art were merely two among the myriad techniques and arts of the Heavenly Court Dao Sect. Dao Ancestor founded the Dao Sect with the aim of using numerology to expound upon all things in the universe and the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Dao Sword was merely one such technique, and the Grand Profound Art was also just one cultivation method, not even considered a top-tier Emperor's Throne art. Even so, Dao Master Lin Xuan could be said to be Eternal Peace's most outstanding genius. Among the younger generation, only a handful could rival his strength.

What Xiao Chunfeng had learned, however, was the most orthodox cultivation method of the Heavenly Court Dao Sect, along with complete numerology. Coupled with having the best teachers, and being the son of the Lunar Sovereign—a demigod of extremely high bloodline—his strength was outstanding among his peers in the Heavenly Court, even surpassing that of the Four Emperors' disciples.

The two moved nimbly in the sky. Qin Mu was very interested in the cultivation method Xiao Chunfeng displayed: behind the young Daoist, a divine bridge floated in the air, connecting to the void, with his primordial spirit standing upon it. His primordial spirit was a toad-like divine demon standing upright, holding a pestle for pounding medicine in one hand, a woodcutting axe in the other, and a wooden stick in its mouth. This divine demon primordial spirit activated the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, causing the stars of Qingyun Heaven to continuously emit light, thereby enhancing the power of his divine arts.

In just a short while, Xiao Chunfeng displayed hundreds of divine arts from different systems, dazzling Qin Mu! These divine arts encompassed the Great Dao systems of the 360 Stellar Deities of the Circulating Heavens, and even included the divine arts of the Solar and Lunar Sovereigns! The Great Dao attributes of each of the Circulating Heavens Stellar Deities were different, even conflicting, yet he could manipulate them at will. Clearly, the Heavenly Court Dao Sect had re-structured and re-interpreted these Great Dao divine arts through numerology. Not only that, Xiao Chunfeng also unleashed Great Dao divine arts from Xuandu, Youdu, and Yuandu! He quickly realized that the Youdu divine arts were not very effective against Qin Mu and were instead countered by him. Furthermore, Qin Mu was also highly proficient in Yuandu's Primordial Magnetic divine arts. He immediately countered Qin Mu with Xuandu's Heavenly Dao divine arts and the Circulating Heavens Stellar divine arts.

Their figures ascended higher and higher. In the firmament of Qingyun Heaven, the artificial sun, moon, stars, constellations, and astral bodies were all activated by his magical divine arts. The divine temples on each star continuously vibrated, and beams of light blasted towards Qin Mu! Xiao Chunfeng held the advantage of time and place; he was truly in his element. Had it been elsewhere, he might not have possessed such formidable strength, but within Qingyun Heaven, he was practically invincible!

Dao Master Lin Xuan gazed at the starry sky, watching the two entangle in combat within the galaxy. The effortless way Xiao Chunfeng unleashed various divine arts and Daoist methods filled his heart with myriad emotions. "This is truly the authentic successor of the Dao Sect," he thought. Xiao Chunfeng had the greatest impact on him. This journey to Qingyun Heaven had been the most shocking experience, surpassing anything else and almost overturning his worldview. The Eternal Peace Dao Sect had always prided itself as the orthodox lineage of the world, yet he never imagined it was merely founded by outcasts of the Heavenly Court Dao Sect for the purpose of resisting the Heavenly Court. This meant the Eternal Peace Dao Sect was actually the same as its old rival, the Heavenly Saint Cult, sharing the same objective. Yet, the Dao Sect and the Heavenly Saint Cult had fought pointlessly for twenty thousand years. Furthermore, the false celestial phenomena covering Eternal Peace, created by the Qingyun Sect—a branch of the Dao Sect—further wounded his Dao heart. Now, seeing the true supreme arts of the Dao Sect, witnessing the genuine beauty of numerology and the authentic Dao Sect heritage, the impact on him was immense.

"Cult Master Qin has met a formidable opponent," he mused. Just as he thought this, the galaxy in the sky suddenly began to churn. All stars began to orbit and rotate uncontrollably, and in the center of the galaxy, a great sun converged! Next, all the stars converged to form the figure of Heaven Duke. The Daoists of Qingyun Heaven looked up one after another, their eyes wide with shock. They saw that the Heaven Duke statue was composed of light; the artificial stars had incredibly formed an artificial Heaven Duke!

"Who is manipulating the starry sky?" an old Daoist, utterly terrified, cried out loudly. No one answered him.

This artificial Heaven Duke was beyond the control of all Qingyun Heaven Daoists, causing those cultivating in the various star temples to panic and fly away from the stars in disarray. Qin Mu and Xiao Chunfeng charged into the galaxy, but were now thrown into disarray by the Heaven Duke formed by the stars, unable to stabilize their bodies, and were tossed out by the spatial fluctuations generated by the moving stars.

Under the gaze of everyone in Qingyun Heaven, the artificial Heaven Duke in the firmament slowly stood up. This caused Qingyun Heaven to shake violently, as if this hundred-thousand-mile realm of heavens could not withstand its might and was being compressed to the point of collapse! The Dao Palace swayed precariously, rocking ceaselessly. The people on the mountain tried their best to steady themselves, but saw the Heaven Duke's head slowly rise, getting higher and farther away, while its eyes grew even brighter, the stars within them bursting forth with increasingly dazzling light.

Dao Master Lin Xuan steadied himself. Just as he was about to search for Qin Mu and Xiao Chunfeng in the galaxy, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Qingyun Sect Master walking out of the Dao Palace. "Sect Master Senior Brother!" Dao Master Lin Xuan was about to ask when he heard Qingyun Sect Master's voice: "Little friend Lin, I have already contacted Dao Ancestor. He said he wishes to see you before making a decision. Dao Ancestor has been waiting in the Heavenly Court for quite some time."

Dao Master Lin Xuan's mind reeled. He blurted out, "Then the Heaven Duke in the sky is..." Before he could finish speaking, two incredibly thick beams of light suddenly shot from Heaven Duke's eyes. The lights struck down, illuminating Qin Mu and Xiao Chunfeng in the galaxy. Then, with a hum, one beam shot towards the Southern Emperor's disciple caught in the net, and another headed straight for Lin Xuan. As the light dispersed, the four individuals vanished.

The Heaven Duke in the sky suddenly dispersed, transforming into countless stars that scattered in all directions, each returning to its own orbit. The sky returned to peace, and the turmoil in Qingyun Heaven also subsided.

Many Daoists flew up one after another, rushing towards the Dao Palace. An old Daoist, carrying a young, inexperienced Daoist, landed and hastily asked, "Sect Master, where are they?"

Qingyun Sect Master stood in front of the Dao Palace, looked up at the sky, and said unhurriedly, "They went to the Heavenly Court's Imperial Library. Dao Ancestor wishes to meet them there."

"The Heavenly Court's Imperial Library?" The old Daoist was slightly startled.

Qingyun Sect Master nodded, a look of envy on his face, and said, "The Heavenly Court's Imperial Library is where the Heavenly Court stores its books. Dao Ancestor serves as the Head Librarian there, overseeing the various classics of the Imperial Family. Strange." He was suddenly slightly startled. He turned to look at the old Daoist and the young Daoist, his pupils constricting. "Junior Brother Feihe, how did your speed become so fast? The other senior brothers haven't even flown to the Dao Palace yet, but you arrived first."

His aura suddenly erupted, locking onto the old Daoist with his spiritual energy. He said coldly, "You are not Feihe. Who exactly are you? Why are you stealing from my Qingyun Heaven?"

The old Daoist suddenly burst into laughter. Before Qingyun Sect Master's spiritual energy could fully lock onto him, he grabbed the young Daoist and left, moving at a speed that left Qingyun Sect Master dumbfounded. Qingyun Sect Master pointed a finger. A flying sword soared into the air, like light and lightning. However, though his flying sword was fast, it fell farther and farther behind the old Daoist. Qingyun Sect Master was horrified. He cried out loudly, "All senior and junior brothers, stop him! He is the thief!"

Countless divine arts and divine weapons, trailing colorful lights, chased after the old Daoist. The scene was grand and magnificent, yet the old Daoist left them all behind. "Seal Qingyun Heaven!" Qingyun Sect Master cried loudly.

At the entrance to Qingyun Heaven, a net of heaven and earth spread open. However, a figure flashed past, passing through the nets like a shadow, leaving the Daoists guarding it netting nothing but air!

"A ghost, a ghost!" the Daoists cried out.